Communication Skills

Dr Kay Norman is Head of Practice Learning and Partnership for the Three Counties School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Worcester. Kay has held senior clinical, academic and management posts in nursing within a variety of healthcare organisations and universities. As a Registered Nurse and Specialist Practitioner, her clinical background focused on primary care and community nursing. Her current role involves working with practice partners, students and academic staff to deliver innovative learning experiences for pre-registration nursing and midwifery students. Kay’s research interests include the image of nursing, coaching and supervision in practice. She has published in peer-reviewed journals, written book chapters and edited a professional portfolio textbook, and presented her research at professional conferences.

‘Each chapter explores a clearly defined topic, with concise learning objectives and key points sandwiching the chapter. Aside from the traditional usage of the index page to navigate to a specific topic, the learning outcomes mean you can delve into a certain section if you aren’t reading cover to cover, with more context applied than using solely the index. Activities to facilitate the reader’s comprehension are scattered throughout the book, but in a logical, non-disruptive manner as opposed to thrown in for the sake of filling a page. The activities fit the flow of information and provide opportunities for reflection and critical thinking (both important skills to develop in themselves). Chapters are followed with further reading and reference lists.Communication Skills is pleasant to use and read, not too simplistic, not too wordy, nor with too many references distracting from the learning points.All in all there’s a lot of value packed into this seemingly simple book, that will stay relevant throughout any healthcare course and career.’Student reviewer

• About the authors; Introduction1. Communication as a conceptKay Norman and Erica Pavord1.1 Introduction1.2 Defining communication1.3 Communication frameworks1.4 The transmission model1.5 The transactional model1.6 Channels of communication1.7 Self-awareness in communication1.8 Reflective practiceSummary2. Communication skills in assessing, planning providing and managing carePádraig Ó Lúanaigh2.1 Introduction2.2 Verbal and non-verbal communication2.3 Active listening and appropriate questioning2.4 Emotional vocabulary2.5 Caring conversations2.6 Brief interventions2.7 Duty of candour2.8 Written communication2.9 Social media and electronic communication2.10 Sharing information effectivelySummary3. Communication skills in promoting healthAlison Lewis3.1 Introduction3.2 Assessing motivation for change3.3 Explaining and evidence-based approach to health3.4 Strategies for disseminating information3.5 Addressing common health risk behavioursSummary4. Communication skills for therapeutic interventionErica Pavord4.1 Introduction4.2 Developing a therapeutic relationship4.3 Motivational interviewing4.4 Reminiscence therapies4.5 De-escalation strategies and techniques4.6 Distraction and diversion strategiesSummary5. Communication skills in difficult situationsLouise Carter5.1 Introduction5.2 Demonstrating compassion and sensitivity5.3 Communication vulnerability and ageing5.4 Sensory impairment5.5 Aphasia5.6 Dementia5.7 Breaking bad newsSummary6. Communication and diversityNaomi A. Watson6.1 Introduction6.2 Embracing diversity6.3 In what ways are we diverse?6.4 Communicating with diverse colleaguesSummary7. Communication skills for teamworkingKay Norman7.1 Introduction7.2 Strengths-based approaches7.3 Negotiation strategies7.4 Collaborative working7.5 Organisational culture7.6 Dealing with team conflict7.7 Supervising othersSummary8. Communication for patient safetyVal Nixon8.1 Introduction8.2 Development of patient safety8.3 Incident reporting8.4 A human factors approach to patient safety8.5 Learning from errorsSummaryIndex